Customer Reviews

The Access Bible, New Revised Standard Version (Paperback 9872)

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I have 22 different Bibles and this is by far the most enjoyable Bible of whole of them. I have studied from the NIV study bibles( living insights, NIV study, quest, and student), the Nelson study bible, the new believer's study Bible, NASB, NAB, KJV, and the New oxford, and harper Collins' study bibles. While all of these have their merit I tended to find that the NIV, KJV, NLT, and NASB were geared toward more evangelical Christians. While this is fine it does help those people from the mainline denominations who want to pursue active Bible study are fed an evangelical and, quite frankly, in some cases, bad scholarship. The new oxford and Harper Collins' study bibles are excellent but sometimes can be too detailed and filled with information that may be interesting though not terribly important to the casual reader. The Access Bible uses the excellent New Revised Standard Version, which is what most mainline and even some not- so- mainline churches use. The version which has the Apochryphal/deuterocanonical books is excellent for catholics and former catholics who still feel a connection to that particular denomination. The study notes are placed where they are most needed and not at the bottom of the page like so many other bibles. Well some may accuse this bible of taking the "liberal" approach that is not the case. While yes, it "sells" the JEPD theory of the pentateuch the editors are merely using the most accepted conseus of Bible scholars. Also, unlike the two study bibles mentioned above I found this Bible to be filled with spirit. Not that the NOA or HCSB are not great, like I said they are, it is just that they are very techinical and some feel that because of this they take the magic of out of Scripture. The Access Bible, however, does not oversimplify and yet does not get too technical, keeping the magic and wonder of Scripture in tact. If a person is looking for a Bible filled with great scholarship and a sense of the holy, this Bible is highly recommended!

I think this is the best study Bible I've used. What makes this Bible better is the amazing amount of footnotes within the text itself. This forces the reader into studying each section. The scholarship is better than any evangelical study Bible. The book introductions are essay-driven mini-books that have a seminary-style approach. I was almost overwhelmed with the scholarship and attention to detail. I have one picky complaint. The B.C.E. designation (before common era) instead of B.C., before Christ. This is politically correct terminology that minimizes the importance of Christ's life, and how it marked the beginning of the Christ era, not the Common era. But that does not take away from the academic detail of these editors. We all know Jesus' impact, and what his birth meant to the world. Also, God has no concept of time anyway. As far as the facts go, these scholars seem to get it right. There is a fantastic balance of research and scholarship as well as making it understandable for the layman. It makes the facts and stories come alive. This is what sets it apart from other study Bibles that often preach rather than teach. Granted, some Bibles should preach (i.e.-life application Bible). But if you want to study the context and history of ancient Israel, and the hows, whys and whats of the sacred text, than this Bible is the best. It's fun reading as well.